The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1887-02-05
THE FIRE-WORSHIPERS.
The Strange Doctrines and GUS
toms of zoroasters People.
To His Intelligent Followers Fire is But a
Symbol OF Gods Nature-The Vul-
lure Test-A New Years
Festival.

Many readers of the COMPANION ar,
familiar with the fervid lines of Moore,
splendid poem called the 'Fire-Wor
shippers. " The farewell scene between
Hated and Kinda is one of the most af
1ecting passages in the early poetry o.
this century. 1t has been so widely read
and has produced SO deep an impress.
sion that there arc many whose idea OF
the prevalent religion of Persia is de.
rived from perusal of that poem; and
often has the question been asked me
whether there is any other religion
practiced in that country besides that
OF the worship of fire.
The facts are that out of a popula-
ton OF nine millions, that empire now
numbers scarcely twenty-five thousand
Worshlpers of fire. With the excen-
tlon of less than seventy-fiye Thousand
Armenians, Jews and HISTORIANS. the
T remainder OF the Persian people are
M!oHFunmedans. 1t was soon after the
rise of Mahomet that his fanatical
&osts assailed the frontiers of Persia.
Iezdeglrd ILL.,, who proved to be the
last OF his line, was at that time soyer-
elgn OF Iran. His army was defeated
an the decisive battle of Kadesich. he
hlmsef was slain two years later and
ene Fersians were forced to accept Ma
hommedanism or the sword.
those who refused to abandon the
old faith OF Zoroaster for that of Ma
monet were prosecuted, and mostly
siam siam OF driven from the country.
Those who fled from Persia sought
refuge in India, where they form, in
our time, an intelligent and fiourishing
community, known by the name of
farsees, or Persians. 1t is amid these
struggles of an ancient race against
the domination of a new religion and
dynasty that Moore has laid the scene
of his "Fire-Worshipers. Notwith-
standing these long prosecutions, which
nave continued over one Thousand
years, and only now are beginning to
relax and permit the Fire-Worshipers
OF Persia. to live there unmolested. vet
small, steadfast band has ALWAYS re-
manned in that land, preserving the
talth OF their fathers and their rites and
ceremonials unchanged.
In Persia they are called Guebres.
Ihls is simply corruption of the Ara |
bic term Kaffir, which means hereto.
an unbelieyer. In time it has become
a word OF contumely and scorn. Al |
though so few in numbers. vet the |
Guebres are most interesting COM |
munity. and in them we see Che old |
PERSIAN stock of the days of Cyrus and /
Aerxes unmiXed with any other race;
while the religion they practice is that !
which was introduced into Persia or /
perfected by the famous Zoroaster. or
Zerduseht, who lived at least twenty
i've centuries ago.
? Zoroaster was born in the northern
province called both then and now
Azerbaijan; this name means the re-
gion of fire, and it may have been so
called because tho religion whose dis
tinetlve doctrine is the worship of fire
had its origin there. 1t is only lust TO
state that intelligent Guebres repudiate
= g doctrine. They assert that it is
.-4stake to call them Fire Worshipers.
They say that fire is to them not an OBJ
ject OF worship, but only symbol of
the benetieent Oromasd, or good God.
who is clear and radiant and pure.
like the glow of the rising sun or the
flames of fire, and that it is through
the symbol that they adore the good !
Spirit.
This may be true of the more intelli-
gent followers of the doctrines of Zorro
aster, but there is no doubt that the
ignorant classes believe that light and
tire are real carnations of God, and
worship them as sueh. Fire is held by